Polymer-supported membranes as models of the cell surface

Abstract

Lipid-bilayer membranes supported on solid substrates are widely used as cell-surface models that connect biological and artificial materials. They can be placed either directly on solids or on ultrathin polymer supports that mimic the generic role of the extracellular matrix. The tools of modern genetic engineering and bioorganic chemistry make it possible to couple many types of biomolecule to supported membranes. This results in sophisticated interfaces that can be used to control, organize and study the properties and function of membranes and membrane-associated proteins. Particularly exciting opportunities arise when these systems are coupled with advanced semiconductor technology.

Microscopic wrinkles on supported surfactant monolayers

“…A relation between external pressure Π ex and wavenumber q of wrinkles is obtained in equation (17). In order to study the undulation amplitude h and possible order of the buckling transition, higher order terms in the expansion should be included in the analysis.…”

“…These supported monolayers and bilayers are increasingly common in the study of biological membranes [15,16,17,18,19]. The layer thus transferred is positioned for easier study.…”

Lipid-nanostructure hybrids and their applications in nanobiotechnology

“…For example, heavily doped silicon nanowires were coated with lipid bilayers that prevented the transport of redox-active species to the nanowire electrode surface, and these nanowire-lipid hybrid structures offer an effective and versatile bioelectrochemistry platform for detecting the insertion of ion channels (Figure 6a). 67 A bacterium exotoxin a-hemolysin-incorporated lipid bilayer on Si nanowires allows Fe(CN) 6 4 À ions to reach an electrode and results in an increase in the Faradic current. Selective ion transportation through gramicidin A and alamethicin pores reconstituted in lipid bilayers on Si nanowires were designed as a chemical and applied voltage-triggered electronic signal transduction model.…”

“…4,5 These advances have enabled the development of SLB-based membrane-mimicking systems for sensing membrane reactions, studying intercellular signaling and separating membrane species. [6][7][8][9] To simulate and monitor various cell membrane-based processes, the lateral heterogeneity in a subcellular dimension should be reproducibly created and the molecular interaction should be read out with high reproducibility and high sensitivity. Nanomaterials have generated great interest because their size, shape, dimensions and composition-dependent properties are comparable to those of biological molecules and structures, allowing the investigation of biological phenomena at a subcellular level.…”

Specific Adsorption of Histidine-Tagged Proteins on Silica Surfaces Modified with Ni2+/NTA-Derivatized Poly(ethylene glycol)

“…13,14,18 This strategy, however, can decrease lipid lateral mobility due to membrane-solid substrate contact and promote protein adsorption and inactivation due to surface-mediated unfolding. 19,20 These advances, however, have not fully addressed the third requirement of introducing membrane protein components into the supported membrane in an oriented fashion. Asymmetric orientation of the his-tag molecules has been achieved through metal-mediated complexation of nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) conjugates and hexahistidine-tagged (his 6 -) proteins on silica 21-24 and gold 25-30 surfaces.…”